USCGC Tahoma (WPG-80)
Encyclopedia
USCGC Tahoma (WPG-80) was a United States Coast Guard
Cutter built by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company
in Bay City, Michigan
. Completed in 1934, the steel-hulled cutter operated on the Great Lakes
between 1934 and 1941, attached to the 9th Coast Guard District and homeported at Cleveland, Ohio
. She was named after the Tahoma Glacier
on the western slope of Mount Rainier
in the state of Washington.
As the United States moved closed to full participation in World War II
, President Roosevelt issued an executive order on 1 November 1941 transferring the Coast Guard from the United States Treasury Department to the Navy
. Accordingly, Tahoma was sometime thereafter reclassified as a gunboat
and designated WPG-80.
By July 1942, the former cutter had left the Great Lakes to escort Allied convoys in the North Atlantic in the vicinity of Casco Bay, Maine; Ivigtut, Greenland; St. John's
and Argentia
, Newfoundland
; and Sydney, Nova Scotia
; into the spring of 1944. The remainder of her naval service was spent in serving on weather
and ice patrol duties between Greenland
and Iceland
and plane guard operations in the same waters. In the latter service, she alternated with the Coast Guard cutters Frederick Lee (WPC-139), Algonquin (WPG-75), and Mohawk (WPG-78) into 1945. At the time of the Japanese surrender in mid-August 1945, Tahoma was at sea on a plane guard station.
Released from duty with the Atlantic Fleet
on 30 September 1945, Tahoma was returned to the Coast Guard for a resumption of peacetime service. Tohoma was decommissioned on June 5, 1953; and stored at Curtis Bay, Maryland. It was sold to Bethlehem Steel Company for scrap on Oct 17, 1955.
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
Cutter built by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company
Defoe Shipbuilding Company
The Defoe Shipbuilding Company was a small ship builder established in 1905 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. It ceased to operate in 1976 after failing to renew its contracts with the United States Navy. The site of the former company is now a scrapyard on the bank of the Saginaw River.-Founding:Harry J...
in Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
. Completed in 1934, the steel-hulled cutter operated on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
between 1934 and 1941, attached to the 9th Coast Guard District and homeported at Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. She was named after the Tahoma Glacier
Tahoma Glacier
The Tahoma Glacier is a long glacier mostly on the western flank of Mount Rainier in Washington. It covers and contains 4.3 billion ft3 of ice. The glacier starts out near the summit of the volcano at over...
on the western slope of Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
in the state of Washington.
As the United States moved closed to full participation in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, President Roosevelt issued an executive order on 1 November 1941 transferring the Coast Guard from the United States Treasury Department to the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
. Accordingly, Tahoma was sometime thereafter reclassified as a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
and designated WPG-80.
By July 1942, the former cutter had left the Great Lakes to escort Allied convoys in the North Atlantic in the vicinity of Casco Bay, Maine; Ivigtut, Greenland; St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
and Argentia
Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador
Argentia is a community on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on a flat headland located along the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula on Placentia Bay...
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
; and Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
; into the spring of 1944. The remainder of her naval service was spent in serving on weather
Weather ship
A weather ship was a ship stationed in the ocean as a platform for surface and upper air meteorological observations for use in weather forecasting. They were primarily located in the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans, reporting via radio...
and ice patrol duties between Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and plane guard operations in the same waters. In the latter service, she alternated with the Coast Guard cutters Frederick Lee (WPC-139), Algonquin (WPG-75), and Mohawk (WPG-78) into 1945. At the time of the Japanese surrender in mid-August 1945, Tahoma was at sea on a plane guard station.
Released from duty with the Atlantic Fleet
United States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
on 30 September 1945, Tahoma was returned to the Coast Guard for a resumption of peacetime service. Tohoma was decommissioned on June 5, 1953; and stored at Curtis Bay, Maryland. It was sold to Bethlehem Steel Company for scrap on Oct 17, 1955.